The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has reached an agreement in principle for the 2025 Cup of Nations to be played in July and August next year in Morocco, a CAF official told AFP.
The organizers of the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations, which is scheduled to take place in January and February, have little time to prepare a qualifying competition because CAF president Patrice Motsepe declined to confirm the dates earlier this month.
If it were to be played in June and July of the following year, it would conflict with FIFA’s expanded Club World Cup, which is scheduled to happen in North America.
There was “an agreement in principle between CAF and the Moroccan Football Federation for the AFCON to be held during the summer, more precisely in July and August” 2025, a competitions committee member said to AFP on Monday while speaking on the condition of anonymity.
“This agreement was found with the support of FIFA after talks that began several months ago and which intensified during the last edition which finished this month in Ivory Coast,” the source added.
“The dates currently proposed are July 20-August 16 or 17, 2025.”
The last two Africa Cup of Nations were both pushed back from the original dates. The 2021 tournament hosted by Cameroon, was played in January and February of 2022. The most recent edition had initially been planned for June and July last year but was rescheduled over weather concerns.
Qualifying for the 2025 AFCON has yet to start. A preliminary round is due to be played next month.
The 2027 Cup of Nations will be jointly hosted by Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.
